OSU's top recruit awaits academic clearance

Jun. 18, 2014

D'Angelo Russell (3) floats a shot over McDonald's Joel Berry II during the McDonald's All-American game April 2 in Chicago. Russell is Ohio State's top-rated recruit but still is awaiting academic clearance by the NCAA before he can enroll in in school. / Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

Written by

Stephen W. Jones

The Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal

LOUISVILLE, KY. — Louisville native D’Angelo Russell, a McDonald’s All American guard who attended Montverde Academy in Florida, has yet to enroll in summer classes at Ohio State.

The 6-foot-5, 175-pound shooting guard still is waiting to be cleared academically by the NCAA, the Columbus Dispatch reported, citing a source with knowledge of the situation.

The NCAA eligibility center is awaiting Russell’s score from a standardized test, the newspaper reported, and he needs a score that combines sufficiently with his grade-point average in high school core courses to be eligible as a freshman.

Ohio State coach Thad Matta wrote in a text message to the Dispatch: “We are hoping to have him here soon.”

Russell, who spent his freshman year at Louisville Central High School and his final three at Montverde, is the Buckeyes’ most highly regarded signee and has been projected as a possible starter in 2014-15.

Russell played in the McDonald’s All-American game and the Brand Jordan Classic national all-star basketball contest.

Russell — a smooth left-hander with a knack for scoring — is the headliner on the Big Ten’s best recruiting class, which was ranked eighth nationally by 24/7 Sports. He is considered the nation’s best shooting guard, and ranked in the top 15 to 30 players in the country by the various recruiting services.

He is viewed as a possible tonic for what was an anemic Ohio State offense in 2013-14.